bad birthday gift ideas

There must have been at least one birthday present in your life that you thought was utterly inappropriate or insensitive. Some gifts just make you scratch your head and wonder what you did in life to deserve this.

Whether it’s because of absolute cluelessness of the giver or lack of attention, certain gifts can deliver the wrong message, and should be avoided. Stay tuned for 7 that you should never give to others and why it might be the worst gift idea ever.

Self-Help Book

You might think that books are great gifts, and they are. As long as they don’t deliver secret messages, especially messages that might look like you’re hinting that someone needs help. Even if this was true, birthdays aren’t the right situation to remind someone how damaged they might be.

Re-gifted Gift

There might have been a lousy gift you received at some point. It could have been a book you’re not keen on reading, or a perfume whose scent is not exactly your cup of tea, but re-gifting is one of the greatest taboos when it comes to birthdays. It’s tacky, and it doesn’t really show a lot of care and love towards the person who’s celebrating the birthday.

Framed Selfie

Narcissism might be a common thing nowadays, but it’s definitely not something to show off in someone’s birthday gift. No matter how gorgeous you think you turned out on that picture. There is literally no single excuse for gifting a framed picture of yourself.

Think about it like this. The love towards your best friend could be endless, but there’s no actual reminder of that love if your bestie gives you herself framed as a birthday gift.

Anti-Aging Products

Although it might come in handy once you pass the age of 25, nobody needs a reminder that they’re getting old on one of the most special days of the entire year. Let them worry about wrinkles another day and try giving them something a little less blunt.

Socks

Most people say that socks become an awesome birthday gift passed a certain age, but I believe that if anyone were to choose between socks and getting something else for birthday, everyone would pick option number too. Nobody can be overly enthusiastic about socks, especially during birthdays. After all, what meaning does it carry?

’Here you go, a pair of fuzzy socks. All of your socks have holes in them, and plus we had some spair left from Granny’s Christmas stocking stuffers. Happy B-Day.’

Coupons & Vouchers

No matter how frugal someone likes to be, coupon books are not exactly the gift that screams love. Although this is a thing of personal choice, as anything else in life, coupons and vouchers aren’t exactly the best representation of best wishes.

People usually love to feel special for their birthdays and feel like a million dollars. Coupons aren’t exactly a dream gift of someone who wants to feel special.

Pets

Make someone feel alive on their birthday, but don’t gift them something alive. You never know how they will react, and even if you do, it’s something that needs to be discussed in advance, so that the surprise puppy or kitten don’t end up in a shelter a couple of weeks later.

This gifts are taboo not simply because they show lack of attention and care, but because they can actually disturb someone. So make sure you put some thought into each and every birthday gift, no matter how close that person is to you.

It’s their special day, and the least you can do is take some time to avoid a gift catastrophe.